Catfights and Spotlights

Catfights and Spotlights
Studio album by Sugababes
Released	17 October 2008 (2008-10-17)
Recorded	June – August 2008
Genre	R&B soul funk
Length	49:10
Label	Island
Producer	Klas Åhlund Steve Booker Si Hulbert The Invisible Men Melvin Kuiters Taio Cruz
Sugababes chronology
Change (2007) Catfights and Spotlights (2008) Sweet 7 (2010)
Singles from Catfights and Spotlights
"Girls" Released: 6 October 2008 "No Can Do" Released: 22 December 2008

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
BBC	[2]
Digitalspy	[3]
The Guardian	[4]
Planet Sound	[5]
The Sunday Times	[6]
The Times	[7]

Catfights and Spotlights is the sixth studio album by British pop band Sugababes, released by Island Records on 17 October 2008. Produced primarily by Klas Åhlund, Steve Booker and Orson, the album also features additional contribution from Si Hulbert, The Invisible Men, Melvin Kuiters, and Max Martin. It is the group's final album to include remaining founding member Keisha Buchanan.

The album received a generally positive reception from the media and music critics,^[8][9] but became the group's third lowest-charting and second lowest-selling album, reaching number eight and the top twenty in the UK and on the Irish Albums Chart, respectively. Catfights and Spotlights spawned only two singles, with the international top ten entry "Girls". The second and final single "No Can Do" was released on 22 December 2008.

Recording and theme

After they had completed the Change Tour in May 2008, the Sugababes announced that they would not go back into the recording studio until September 2008 to work on their next album, insisting they needed more time to work on their new material.^[10] However, on 15 June 2008, band member Keisha Buchanan told an interviewer that the group would start work on a new album straight away due to opportunities to record with new producers,^[11] and by 17 June the trio had started recording. Less than a month later at the annual Liverpool Summer Pops in Liverpool, they announced that the lead single was completed, describing it as "amazing". The title of the single, "Girls", was revealed on 11 August 2008 and was released on 6 October 2008 in the UK.^[12][13]

The album has been described as having a "funkier" sound by Orson's lead singer Jason Pebworth, who has been working with the group in the recording studio.^[14] In an interview, the Sugababes described the Catfights and Spotlights as having a more mellow and mature sound which focuses mainly on their vocals.

The album was also described by Range as darker.^[15]

Sales and impact

Catfights and Spotlights debuted at number eight on the UK Albums Chart with first week sales of over 23,000 copies, becoming their fifth studio album to reach the top ten in the United Kingdom. However, it also became their first album since their debut One Touch not to peak inside the national top three. The album fell out of the top fifty in its fourth week of release.^[16] As of Monday, 19 January, the album jumped 22 places from 96 to 74 with sales 2,000.^[17][18] It was eventually certified Silver by the BPI.^[19]

In Ireland, the album debuted at number 18, before falling to number 42 the following week,^[20] while in Greece, the album entered at number 33, before dropping to number 37 the following week. However, on its third week the album climbed to number 22.^[21]

In an interview with Daily Star Sunday, Sugababes member Heidi Range blamed their music label, Island, for disappointing sales of their new album. According to Range, "The sales have been disappointing but I don't think it is a reflection on the album's quality, and the problem is the promotion, I don't actually think our fans know we've even got an album out."^[22]

An unreleased song that never made the cut to the album, "Hot Under the Collar" leaked online in February 2013—almost five years after the album's release.

Track listing

Notes

• "Every Heart Broken" is titled "Murder One" on the Greek edition of the album.

Charts and sales